System cannot complete a clean reboot with virtualization active: Win updates (Build 26200.8246)

[Steve1074]

Technical Summary: I am reporting a reproducible firmware-level regression on the HP Laptop 15s-fq2xxx  running Windows 11 Pro. The system exhibits a terminal hang during the shutdown and restart cycle specifically when BIOS Virtualization is enabled.

Detailed Failure Logic:

• Condition A (Virtualization ON): The system fails to process the ACPI shutdown signal from the OS. It hangs indefinitely on the "Restarting" or "Shutting Down" screen, requiring a manual hard-power-off (Event ID 41).

• Condition B (Virtualization OFF): The system processes power-state changes normally.

• Impact on Servicing: Because the system cannot complete a clean reboot with virtualization active, critical Windows updates (specifically Build 26200.8246) fail to finalize and are forced into an automatic rollback state.

Request for Engineering Review: This ??? appears to be a regression in BIOS F.41 [or Microsoft update coding failure or both] regarding the hypervisor’s ability to yield hardware control to the UEFI power rails during the handoff phase. Please help? Patches/ solutions?

[Pallipurath]

Hi @Steve1074 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

When Virtualization Technology (VT-x) in the BIOS and Hyper-V are both enabled, systems can experience issues like freezing upon waking from sleep mode, due to how these technologies interact with the system's power management settings. I would request you to please share me the Printer model number to check with the Firmware and assist you further.

Here are some troubleshooting steps and potential solutions you can try to resolve the problem.

Update BIOS and Drivers

• Before diving into more complex solutions, ensure your BIOS and drivers are up-to-date, as updates can often address issues with hardware compatibility and power management. https://support.hp.com/in-en/drivers 

Check BIOS Version:

• Go to HP Support and look for your laptop model (HP Notebook 15-db0007ur). https://support.hp.com/in-en/drivers 
• Check if there is a newer BIOS version available than the one currently installed on your system.
• If an update is available, follow the instructions to update the BIOS.

Update Drivers:

• Ensure your chipset drivers, power management drivers, and GPU drivers are up-to-date.
• You can use the HP Support Assistant tool or manually check for driver updates on the HP support website. https://support.hp.com/au-en/products 

Adjust Power Settings

• Modify some power-related settings to prevent the laptop from entering certain power states that may be causing the issue.
• Open Control Panel and go to Power Options.
• Select Change plan settings next to the active power plan.
• Click on Change advanced power settings.
• In the Advanced settings, disable USB selective suspend setting and adjust Sleep settings:
• Set Sleep after to a higher time or Never for testing.
• Set Hibernate after to Never.
• Adjust Allow hybrid sleep to Off.
• Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Check Virtualization Settings in BIOS

• Ensure your BIOS virtualization settings are configured correctly. Sometimes issues arise when both Hyper-V and VT-x are enabled simultaneously.
• Restart your laptop and press Esc or F10 to enter the BIOS setup.
• In the BIOS menu, go to the Advanced tab.
• Locate the Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x) setting.
• You can try disabling Intel VT-x temporarily to see if that resolves the issue, or try switching between Enabled and Auto.
• Save and exit the BIOS.

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Take care and have an amazing day!